Ludicrous it may sound but ironically, the Warriors Game 7 loss to the Cavs at Oracle Sunday Night may have delayed its attempt to begin playing in San Francisco.The Mission Bay Alliance and many neighbors on the waterfront area certainly hope so and their wishes may come true.
The Warriors lost an epic battle on the court and have been steadily losing on the legal court too.
From the outset MBA --and its several UCSF advocates argue that building an 18,000-seat arena across the street from a hospital makes no sense. Indeed the presence of a building housing basketball, entertainment and other sports events will cause massive traffic jams and gridlock, chaos actually in a neighborhood already congested without such a facility. Combine that with AT&T Park Giants games and concerts and you have the source of such growing opposition.
The Warriors --through a mega-million PR blitz--have argued that the arena still has a green-light status and although there's been many delays, will open the facility on time, right before the 2019 season.
That target date is now doubtful. Even the most diehard arena advocates agree that the new building will open in 2020 at the earliest.
David Miller-Thomas, a resident and venue for, hopes it's never. "Look, I love sports; I love the Warriors. Grew up watching Rick Barry and Phil Smith, but building something massive like that across from a (UCSF) hospital is crazy, just crazy."
The transit planners agree.
And although the Bay Area media coverage of MBA's legal and direct challenges have been tepid at best, the momentum has clearly changed and it appears the neighbors; MBA and Transit officials; plus community activists, have stormed ahead with their challenges.
The Warriors, it seemed, had been winning the PR battle across the bay --with assists from their 2016 Championship Run, a run that has now ended, quite disappointingly, and with it, the momentum of a SF locale by 2019.
That date appears to be a goner now --we'll be watching.
Good I hope it fails. People forget the Coliseum complex currently has 7,000 parking spaces, access to 880 plus BART and Amtrak. The SF Arena site has none of that and isn't close to a highway either
ReplyDeleteIt's not about the parking.
DeleteIt is about a glamorous, state of the art, Warriors owned arena surrounded by night life.
Arena in Oakland has only parking.
Exactly 1:29 PM, LaCob wants the Glamour! Not to mention that his GF, calls San Francisco "OZ," and really wants the move from Oaktown to SF.
DeleteI disagree.
ReplyDeleteYesterday's loss:
-Leaves a bad 'Oakland-Oracle' taste in the mouth of Ownership.
-Makes Ownership more intent on making this look like a winning(not that they aren't now)franchise, this time in court.
-A shiny, brand new arena in a vibrant neighborhood that they designed, finance and will own is another step in distancing themselves from Cohan and the Coliseum Authority.
And as already pointed out, this will increase the value of the franchise by leaps and bounds versus staying in Oakland.
Oakland supporters relying on the hospital opposition as a means of keeping the Warriors in Oakland is foolish. Instead they should be working on making Oakland a better place to play than SF, instead of it being Plan B.
Do you want an elite team in SF, or a less-than-elite team in Oakland?
ReplyDeleteLaCob needs to contact Little Jed...He made the Impossible happen in little Santa Clara, with a WHOLE LOT of Shenanigans, & Corrupt Politicians...LOL?!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Rick Barry, I was at the OCA when the Warriors collapsed in Game 7 of the Western Conference championship against Phoenix in 1976, defending their NBA crown. Kinda reminded of yesterday's game, 40 years later: confusion, no one stepping up, bad decisions. That 1976 loss was probably, next to the Giants' 2002 WS collapse, the worst sports hurt I've ever felt, but then I was a teenager then.
ReplyDeleteGreg O.
The two kids in the photo don't look like members of the uber-rich Mission Bay Alliance.
ReplyDeleteIf the stupid thing ever gets built, fans will get more hosed than they are now. Little parking, a long walk from Bart, not the most happening neighborhood. Stay in Oakland and get with the A's on an entertainment complex.
ReplyDeleteI also hope Mission Bay falls apart. San Francisco is becoming a very crowded city. It's insane. The arena across the street from a hospital? Who the hell is trying to con who here? I can see it now: shooting victim is trying to be transported to hospital. Can't get through because of Warriors postgame traffic or congestion from a concert. Person dies in the ambulance because they got caught in traffic or had to be whisked somewhere else which loses more time. Live with that.
ReplyDeleteWarriors really stunk up the place. Any chance Las Vegas might be needing a team?
ReplyDeleteYou're thinking the Raiders. W's heading to SF.
Delete